Walker Scores 22 As Celtics Beat Raptors

Published 7:00 pm, Thursday, February 27, 2003

Antoine Walker scored 22 points and rookie J.R. Bremer added 20 as the Boston Celtics defeated the Toronto Raptors 90-85 on Friday night, despite playing without Paul Pierce for the first time in more than three years.

Walker sealed the game when he hit a 17-foot fadeaway from the left side with 18.8 seconds left.

The Celtics won their second straight game while Toronto has lost three of four after a four-game winning streak. The Raptors fell to 6-21 on the road.

Pierce, who had played in 257 consecutive games, the third-longest streak among active players, sat out because of a lower back he strained while slipping on ice over the weekend. The last game Pierce missed was on Jan. 26, 2000 at Orlando because of a hamstring pull.

Tony Delk hit a 3-pointer with 5:52 left in the fourth quarter to give Boston its biggest lead at 83-71 before the Raptors went on an 8-0 run capped by a jump hook by Davis. Walker hit a layup that pushed the lead to 85-69, but Voshon Lenard's 3-pointer cut the deficit to 3.

A layup by Eric Williams made it 87-82, but Alvin Williams made a 3-pointer that made it a two-point game.

Walker was just 9-of-28 from the field and missed all four of his three-point attempts, but he grabbed 11 rebounds and had nine assists. Bremer, coming off an 0-for-7 performance in a 71-69 win over Indiana on Wednesday, also finished with six rebounds and five assists.

Walker was 3-of-15 in the first half and Boston made just 2-of-12 of its three-point attempts, but the Celtics still managed to take a 44-41 lead into the break.

Eric Williams added 18 for Boston.

Notes:@ Morris Peterson is the only player for the Raptors to play in all 55 games this season. … New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was in attendance, wearing a San Francisco Giants cap. … Raptors forward Michael Bradley grew up in nearby Worcester, Mass. … Celtics center Vin Baker served the first game of an indefinite suspension. … Kedrick Brown replaced Pierce in the starting lineup and finished with two points.